SOME CASE HISTORIES

Relaunch of HomeStart FinanceThis required the creation of a new brand positioning that succeeded in increasing loan settlements from $12M to $42M per month in just 18 months.

The campaign achieved this through a deeper understanding of target market mind-frames and by identifying previously untapped markets and attitudes. We then created campaign communications that matched and spoke directly to these niche target groups, replacing less efficient mass communication strategies.

A complete staff education program for 90 to 100 staff was developed, designed to manage culture change in customer service delivery. We were able to effectively take staff through a process to clarify their understanding of the importance of their role in customer contact. This was done to ensure that the service delivered when potential customers rang matched the message in the advertising campaign developed. This strategy enabled the call centre staff to provide individual responses to each inquiry, managing them through the inquiry process so that more of them became eligible for a loan. We also created a customer management process that maintained residual contact with ineligible leads and provided a reason for them to recontact HomeStart if and when their circumstances changed. Prior to the campaign the client had a 17% conversion rate. This was raised to over 40%.

Market strategies for a suite of new products was subsequently launched, one of which won both State and National Australian Institute of Marketing Awards.

Project Managed the transition of Third Party Insurance underwriter from SGIC to Allianz.Tony was awarded this 6-month project on the strength of previous projects he had handled for the Motor Accident Commission. The brief was to manage an efficient and trouble free transition from SGIC, the company synonymous with Third Party Insurance in South Australia for over 20 years, to Allianz, the winner of a recent competitive tender process. The objective was to identify all possible contact points for current and potential Third Party claims and communicate whatever information was needed to clarify procedures and processes to eliminate any confusion and reassure everyone involved that the change in Third Party underwriter would not inconvenience them.

Working with representatives from Motor Accident Commission, Motor Registration, and Allianz he quickly gained an understanding of the processes involved in Third Party claims and was able to accurately identify all necessary contact points and develop communication strategies to address each of them. This meant negotiating with the governing bodies of associations representing the legal, medical and all associated health care professions, hospitals, SAPOL, ambulance and fire brigade. Specific material was developed for each contact point.

Not a single complaint was received throughout the transfer process and Tony was made aware anecdotally of significant Government satisfaction with the entire project.

BRL HardySubsequent to the success of several small trade promotion projects Tony was invited to pitch for the advertising communication for the Omni brand, the specifics of which are detailed below. With the success of this campaign he was invited to become involved with other brands in the portfolio. His association began with the Hardy Wine Company and continued when Berri Renmano Limited merged to create BRL Hardy and finally to Constellation Wines when the company became part of the world's largest wine group . At the height of his association he managed approximately 70% of the brands in the portfolio.

There were different brand managers for each group of brands and effectively each label was akin to a different account. Tony developed many successful campaigns with relatively modest marketing budgets, especially when compared with competing companies such as Penfolds, Rosemount and Yalumba. Campaigns/brands managed included:Nottage HillWhile this brand had been a mainstream icon, it was in decline because of a lack of support and the erosion of relevance to current consumer attitudes. Tony created a campaign that positioned Nottage Hill as a legend substantiated by its 76 successive vintages. The campaign utilised a number of Australian legends, Ita Buttrose and Max Walker for example, to reposition Nottage Hill as a legend in its own right.Omni 1998/1999At the time Tony won this project Omni was in fierce competition with Yellowglen and all other sub $10 brands. The brand had won a gold medal, an unprecedented feat for a sparkling wine at that price point. The opportunity existed to maximise the impact of this medal win. Tony developed a series of quirky TV commercials based on the theme “It’s a little bit different” to capitalise on Omni's medal win and reinforce its brand personality as a fashionable choice for aspiring female drinkers. The campaign resulted in Omni becoming the top selling sparkling wine in Australia.Banrock Station 1999/2000Banrock Station had been launched by another agency using conservation as its brand platform. Agreements had been put in place with Landcare Australia and Wetland Care Australia whereby a part of the purchase price of every bottle or cask was donated to projects managed by these organizations. Banrock Station was a property in the Riverland which had been restored to provide wetland habitat for local and migratory birds, as well as for other indigenous species. While the launch campaign had been successful it had not established the brand to the satisfaction of the client. Tony was asked to take over the brand and quickly identified that there was a gap in the understanding of wine purchasers regarding the importance of wetlands. It took several campaigns and substantial negotiation before the client was prepared to accept that what was missing was an emotional quotient. Eventually the client accepted a campaign that focussed on the wildlife that was being saved due to the conservation of wetland habitat. Tony was able to identify specific projects in each state where particular species had benefited from Banrock Station donations. The campaign was successful in arresting a decline in sales.

Art Gallery of South AustraliaStakeholder communication was a vital part of the management of this client due to the need to balance the objectives of various curatorial staff with the strength of personality of Gallery Director Ron Radford. Tony developed a number of very successful campaigns for the Gallery including:• Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Century of Genius• Qin Shihuang - Terracotta Warriors and Horses• Love and Death in the Victorian Age• Life and Death under the Pharoahs• Stella Bowen - Art, Love and War• Hossein Valamanesh - A Survey• Seeing the Centre: Albert Namatjira• This Other Eden- British Paintings from the Paul Mellon Collection at Yale• Morris & Company - Pre-Raphelites and the Arts and Craft Movement• Modern Australian Women - Paintings and prints1925-1945• The Encounter 1802 - Art of the Flinders and Baudin Voyages• Our Country - Australian Federation Landscapes

Royal Society for the BlindTony was responsible for the campaign to totally rebrand this not-for-profit organisation. Recognising that part of the problem in contemporising the brand lay in the “Royal Society” association, he commissioned a new corporate identity that permitted a transition to “RSB”, as it had become colloquially known, and created a strong, recognisable, modern brand that could be adapted across all aspects of their operations, enabling each segment to have its own identity while being part of the umbrella identity. He managed the sometimes sensitive communications process to the wide variety of stakeholders and totally redesigned their extensive print catalogue and created highly effective television, press and radio campaigns.

L J HookerDuring Tony's time as Creative Director at Andrew Robertson Advertising, he created the campaign and printwork for “The Sold Factor”, a campaign that won South Australia’s first, and only, BRW Advertising Effectiveness Award. The campaign produced a 7% market shift, taking L J Hooker from fourth largest real estate agency network to first. Work on the week-to-week listings demanded a special level of client management as it required dealing with each agent independently.